Gun violence is on the rise in cities across the country. How can we protect ourselves and loved ones from becoming unintended victims of the violence? What should you do if you find yourself in an active shooter situation? Explore the vital answers with personal protection specialist Allen Banks, developer of Active Shooter Prevention and Workplace Violence Prevention Training, plus special programs for schools and other locations. Ask him: How should people observe, react, find safety, shield others, or fight back during an active shooting incident? Which survival tips work best in different settings? Allen Banks is CEO of Proactive Protection Agency. Contact him at (661) 417-0786; abanks@rtirguests.com
Category: Current Events
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Can We Eliminate Racism in the U.S.?
When it comes to race, most of us exist in a bubble. Too often we associate with people like ourselves, limiting our ability to identify with those who are different. Nadia Al-Samarrie is the exception. As the child of an American Catholic mother and an Iraqi Moslem diplomat father, she has lived in Iraq and Iran, and in California, where she went to high school. She experienced racial and cultural tensions for being American in the Middle East and in Iran for being an Iraqi and the racial crossfire between the white and black communities in the U.S. She sees herself and others as spirits defined not by their ethnic background but by their unique life experiences. A conversation with Nadia will make the world seem smaller and more universal. She says, “We need to remember that tolerance unites us. We need to see and accept people as they are, understanding that no matter how different they may appear, they all want to feel safe, loved, and accepted.” Ask her how we can eliminate racism in the U.S. Nadia is the author of the new memoir, From Bagdad to Berkeley: A Woman’s Affair. As an author and diabetes expert,she has been featured on ABC, NBC, CBS, and other major cable networks. Contact her at (415) 741-3545; nalsamarrie@rtirguests.com
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What Your Favorite TV Commercials Can Teach You
Everybody loves Super Bowl commercials, but the truth is that brands and companies do their best to entertain us with commercials throughout the year, commercials that can pack some powerful lessons. Let marketing professional Steve McChesney unpack those lessons as he shares why the best commercials don’t try to sell us anything. He’ll reveal some of his favorite examples of “brilliant” ads (ask him about Barbie and Nike) and discuss yours, giving you a glimpse into the minds that came up with such winners as Mayhem for Allstate and Flo for Progressive. A former stunt man and actor, Steve McChesney has been on CBS, ABC, NBC and other large media outlets. His new book is “Rearranging Change: How You Market to an Ever-Changing World” and his podcast with the same name is available on all major channels. He is available as a last-minute guest. Contact Steve McChesney at (321) 414-2147; smcchesney@rtirguests.com
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Ringling Elephants Get New Home
The elephants from Ringling Brothers’ now-defunct circus have finally found a suitable home in Florida, thanks to Los Angeles Dodgers owner Mark Walter and his wife Kimbra. They will be relocated to the Walters’ 2500-acre conservation area. Chris DeRose is founder of the animal rights group Last Chance for Animals (LCA), the organization that led the charge that closed down Ringling Brothers’ animal acts. Invite him on your show to discuss the end of Ringling, what happened to the other animals in the circus, and what his group is focusing on now. Last Chance for Animals is an international, non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating animal exploitation through education, investigations, legislation, and media attention. Contact Kevin Mercuri at (212) 901-6914, ext. 701; (617) 593-1421 (cell) or kevin@propheta.com
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‘The Great Realization’— Easing Kids’ COVID Fears Worldwide
Millions of people around the globe have viewed Tomos Roberts’ touching video in which he reads his heartfelt poem “The Great Realization.” The hopeful tale for a post-COVID world became a viral sensation viewed tens of millions of times; covered by major media outlets from London’s Daily Mail to the Washington Post; and praised by celebrities including Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore and Khloé Kardashian. Tomos, a poet/filmmaker based in London, wrote the poem to provide comfort to his younger brother and sister, both 7, amidst the pandemic, and in the video, he reads it to them as a bedtime story. Invite Tomos Roberts to discuss the worldwide reaction to “The Great Realization” (which continues to inspire thousands every day), his hopes for a post-COVID 19 world, and his belief that “hindsight is 2020.” “The Great Realization” is now a beautifully illustrated children’s book to help ease kids’ anxiety about coronavirus. Contact John Angelo at john@premieretv.com
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New Survey: Millennials, the Least Tolerant Generation
Their elders have been complaining for years about millennials. Now, research proves that this younger generation does indeed view the world — and their place in it — in a much, much different way than previous generations. A new report from the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University identified three specific categories in which the millennial generation differs most drastically from that of their forefathers —respect for others; interest in faith; and enthusiasm for America. Interestingly, it was also found that millennials were the least tolerant generation of those surveyed. Dr. George Barna, who has been researching both faith trends and generational differences for more than four decades, found the study’s results “profoundly disturbing.” “The significantly divergent worldview perspectives and applications of the four generations we studied suggests a nation that is at war with itself to adopt new values, lifestyles and a new identity,” says Barna, director of research at the CRC. “There is a war for worldview dominance taking place in America.” The findings were extracted from the Cultural Research Center’s “American Worldview Inventory” and based on a combination of beliefs and behaviors that distinguished the perspective of millennials from that of older adults. Contact Jason Jones at jason@jonesliterary.com
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Can We Get Past Racial, Religious, and Cultural Differences?
When it comes to race, religion, politics and cultural identity most of us exist in a bubble. Too often we associate with people like ourselves, limiting our ability to identify with those who are different. Nadia Al-Samarrie is the exception. As the child of an American Catholic mother and an Iraqi Moslem diplomat father, she has lived in Iraq and Iran, and in California, where she went to high school. She’s witnessed and experienced racial and cultural tension throughout much of her life: as an American in the Middle East, being an Iraqi in Iran, and in the racial crossfire between white and Black communities here in the U.S. She sees herself and others as spirits defined not by their ethnic background, but by their unique life experiences. A conversation with Nadia will make the world seem smaller and more universal. She says, “We need to remember that tolerance unites us. We need to see and accept people as they are, understanding that no matter how different they may appear, they all want to feel safe, loved, and accepted.” Nadia’s new memoir is “From Bagdad to Berkeley: A Woman’s Affair.” An author and diabetes expert, she has been featured on ABC, NBC, CBS, and other major cable networks. Contact her at (415) 741-3545; nalsamarrie@rtirguests.com
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America’s Deadly Divorce from Science
Harvard University professor Naomi Oreskes believes that the social contract between science and American society is broken beyond repair. “The unfortunate reality is that our elected government is increasingly populated with many men and women who do not merely ignore scientific facts, they appear to despise them and the people who produce them. They see science as something that stands in the way of their political goals, and therefore must be pushed out of the way.” The author of “Why Trust Science?” says the solution isn’t a call for more science or the restoration of “scientific integrity,” whatever that is. She says, “As scientific conclusions become more indisputable, the machinations of those who are threatened by it become more outrageous. There comes a point when maybe one simply has to accept that the dream has died and it is time for a new one.” Naomi Oreskes is professor of the History of Science at Harvard University and the author of nearly 200 books, scholarly papers, and articles. Her opinion pieces have appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post and other major publications. Contact her at oreskes@fas.harvard.edu
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Are Frozen Embryos People or Property?
Recent news stories have explored the issue of frozen embryos caught in the crossfire of couples who have uncoupled. Fertilized during happier times, these embryos may remain in limbo forever and rack up storage fees if the couples cannot agree on their future. Or, as Nate Birt advises, the couple can agree to let the frozen embryo be adopted by someone else, a possibility they may not have considered. Learn more when you interview Nate, whose daughter began life as another couple’s frozen embryo. Nate is the author of “Frozen, But Not Forgotten: An Adoptive Dad’s Step-by-Step Guide to Embryo Adoption.” Ask him: What are some of the controversies that surround frozen embryos? Are fertilized embryos people or property? How costly is it to adopt such an embryo? Contact Nate Birt at (417) 221-9045; Nbirt@rtirguests.com
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New Documentary Goes Inside a Migrant Caravan
Nat Geo’s new documentary “Blood on the Wall” takes viewers to Central America, as a caravan of migrants seeking a better life heads north to the United States, while narco-traffickers — part of the cause for the caravan — move drugs and money back and forth across the same border. The film, from Academy Award-nominated director Sebastian Junger and Emmy-winning producer Nick Quested, explores the depths of corruption plaguing Mexico and Central America and the policies of the past that have made it impossible for everyday people to find justice. Shot in the same journalistic style as their other films, “Hell on Earth: The Fall of Syria and the Rise of ISIS,” “Korengal,” and the Oscar-nominated “Restrepo,” the documentary highlights the humanity of the migrants and shows how politics, the drug trade, violence, and the desire for safety result in unbelievable anguish happening in plain sight. Producer Nick Quested is available for interviews. Contact Johanna Ramos-Boyer at (703) 991-8328; jboyer@rtirguests.com